Police Blotter, Week of Jan. 31, 2019

Police said that on Sat., Dec. 29, around 8 p.m., inside of the McDonald’s at 404 E. 14th St., three individuals were harassing an elderly couple. When a 44-year-old man intervened, the trio punched and kicked him in the face and body. The thugs fled the scene on foot eastbound on E. 14th St. The victim suffered cuts on his face, along with pain and bruising to his face and body. He was treated and released from Beth Israel Hospital.

One of the alleged suspects in an assault at the E. 14th St. McDonald’s. Photos courtesy N.Y.P.D.

The suspects are black, ages 14 to 17, between 5-feet-5-inches and 5-feet-8-inches tall. One of them, a male, was last seen wearing a pink hooded sweater, black sweatpants and black-and-white sneakers. The female of the bunch had red or light brown hair and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweater, a black jacket, red-and-yellow pants and gray-and-white sneakers. The third perp, a male, wore eyeglasses and was last seen wearing a red hooded sweater, a beige jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers Web site at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

Above and below, two other alleged members of the troublemaking trio from an incident at the E. 14th St. McDonald’s.

First Precinct

Soho slugging

A man in his 20s was arrested on Jan. 26 for repeatedly punching a 65-year-old man in the face near the intersection of Greene and Spring Sts., police said. The pair, who reportedly have no previous connection to each other, were said to have been engaged in a verbal argument before the younger man allegedly began throwing punches. The victim suffered facial bleeding and a swollen face as a result of attack.

Sebastian Benjamin, 24, was arrested.

iScammed

A 29-year-old employee at the Warby Parker eyeglass company’s headquarters and showroom at 233 Spring St. in Soho fell victim to a phone scheme that led her to purchasing nearly $75,000 worth of Apple gift cards, police said.

The victim received a call from the same phone number as the New York Police Department’s 25th Precinct. Two men, who identified themselves as Alan Parish and William Turner, told her over the phone that her Social Security number was compromised, and she needed to drain her bank account and purchase the gift cards. She was then instructed on where to send the receipts.

Police are still searching for the two men running the scam.

Coach poach

Police are searching for three men who allegedly stole 10 items valued at $2,340 from the Coach store at 143 Prince St. on Tues., Jan. 22. The trio of robbers are all described as being white, 5-feet-7-inches tall, 170 pounds and around 20 years old.

Fragrant filchers

Police are looking for three girls around 17 years old who collectively stole 15 bottles of perfume valued at $1,000 from a Soho Victoria’s Secret at 591 Broadway, between Prince and W. Houston Sts. The perfume-purloining perps walked straight to the perfume section of the store and put the bottles in their bags before leaving the scene.

Sixth Precinct

The Tide turns

On Thurs., Jan. 24, Sekou Salaam, 52, was arrested for allegedly stealing two Tide containers valued at $37 from the CVS located at 360 Sixth Ave., police said. Salaam is said to have fled the scene after an employee caught him stuffing the detergents into a blue duffel bag.

Police found him in the McDonald’s at 136 W. Third St. with the bag and stolen items still with him. Cops also found that he had an alleged crack pipe with residue on it in his pocket and an arrest warrant issued on Nov. 18 for a parole violation for criminal possession of stolen property.

Plastic un-fantastic

Police arrested Alexander Haney, 33, on Tues., Jan. 22 for allegedly stealing a wallet he found in a restroom inside New York University’s Bobst Library, at 70 Washington Square South, and making purchases with a credit card inside it.

The 24-year-old victim claims she accidentally left her wallet in a restroom stall the morning of Sat., Sept. 22. By the time she returned to retrieve it, the wallet was already missing. The stolen credit card was used for multiple purchases roughly between 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. that day, including twice at the 7-Eleven at 135 W. Third St., as well as online and in New Jersey, before the victim canceled her credit card.

Teen team

Two teenage boys, ages 17 and 15, were arrested for allegedly jumping a 16-year-old and stealing his wallet outside 63 Bank St. on Jan. 9 around 3 p.m. Police said the two boys followed the victim along the street before tackling him and searching his pockets to steal his wallet.

The 17-year-old was arrested the same day. The 15-year-old was arrested Jan. 23. The two boys had no prior connections with victim.

Cash cad

Kevin Jerome, 28, was arrested at the Sixth Precinct at 233 W. 10th St. on Jan. 25 after his 33-year-old girlfriend reported him for allegedly stealing her wallet a few days prior in the Rockaways.

The incident is said to have occurred on Jan. 23 when she refused to lend Jerome some money and he responded by going into her purse and taking her wallet, which contained $400.

When she tried to get the cash back, he allegedly pushed her to the ground and said, “Bitch, this is what you get for not answering me.” Immediately afterward, he reportedly fled to the Beach 67th St. subway station.